Red Bruises
by Earl Michaelis
Summary: NOTE: This has nothing to do with the 'Grell's Fantasy' stories i wrote! Grell sees Sebastian while working and William gets upset. Very upset. Rated M for major violence and minor yaoi bits! A one shot fluff of GrellxSebastian.


Red Bruises

Warning: Violence and Minor Yaoi Content!

I was in the kitchen, drying dishes when Will came home that night. He and I had been living next to each other, so Will would come to check up on me from time to time. He soothed me.

While I dried the small amount of dishes in the sink, I heard my apartment door swing open and then slam closed. Not in a worried manor, in an angry manor. William had a temper.

"Hello, Will~." I tried to calm him down, though I loved to see that cold look in his eyes. "Hm…Bad day at work? Let me fix you up some tea-"

"Sutcliff!" Will growled as he glared into my eyes, as if he were staring into my soul. I gulped. When Will was angry, that meant it was something I did.

"W-Will? A-are you well?" I stared at him with a sympathetic look. That sympathy was not returned.

"How many times," he began. "have I told you to not interact with that demon?"

"W-William…I…it was not what you think! I was collecting a soul and he was-"

"I don't want to hear your petty excuses, Sutcliff!" Will's eyes got even colder. "If you are careless enough to let him around you so he can cause you pain," I shivered as Will walked up to me. I could tell he was pissed off to the point of no return. "then I'll cause you twice the amount of pain." Will lifted his hand and slapped me across the face. I held my cheek after the impact. It stung. Then, William grabbed me by the collar. He raised his fist and hit me right in the nose.

As I held that, tears streamed out of my eyes. William dropped me to the ground. I whimpered, as I saw the red leak out of my nose and drip onto the carpet. It was just as dark as my hair that strewn around me. Though I loved the color red, I hated when it was drawn from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw William pull his leg back.

"No, Will!" I yelled. It was too late. The tip of William's shoe slammed into my stomach. I coughed up more red blood onto the carpet. Then his shoe hit my back, almost shattering my spine. The third time was the worst. The heel of his shoe went directly into my crotch. The thing that I wasn't supposed to be born with caused the most pain. By now I was sobbing in a bloodstained circle on the rug.

"W-William…P…Please…no more…" I managed to just barely speak without causing more pain. Will smirked an evil smirk. He got very close to my face.

"Oh no." He pulled me up by my tie so I was on my knees. "I'm just getting started." Those words burned into my brain as he undid my tie.

"_Dear God, please no!" _I thought to myself as I heard William behind me. Then, I felt my necktie get tighter. And tighter. And tighter, to the point where I was just gasping for air. He was trying to kill me!

I coughed as I reached up to try and pull the tie away from my neck. Tears were still flowing out of my eyelids. Gritting my teeth, I tried to pull it away, but to no avail.

I was just about to pass out when William let go. Immediately, I fell face first to the ground. The necktie was dropped to my side. Even though it was off of my neck, I was still gasping for air. I looked up at Will. My eyes were begging him to stop, but he just shook his head 'no.' I whimpered, holding my stomach.

William slammed his heel into my ribcage. I felt a crack. When he said he was going to cause me pain, he wasn't exaggerating. I felt a tug on my hair. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged across the room. He lifted me up into a chair and sat me down. I held my stomach, and felt more blood drip from my nose. There were still a generous amount of tears coming out of my eyes.

I opened up my eyes just long enough to see William grab a couple plates from the sink. He walked over to me and broke one over my head. Then another. The third one was broken over the table. William picked up a sharp shard of glass from the third plate. He held my wrist and sliced the skin of my upper arm open. Then he sliced my upper right leg. The last slice was on my chest. Not around my heart, but right in the middle of my chest. I cried out in pain.

"AAA!" I screamed, forgetting that the door was locked and the walls were soundproof. No one was coming.

William pushed me back onto the ground. I held my chest and stomach. Will turned me over and sat on my stomach. I screamed again. Then he held the sharp piece of glass to my neck. I stared at him with tears in my eyes, bracing for death. To my surprise, however, William spoke.

"If I ever find out that you saw him again, I won't leave your throat uncut." he pulled the glass away and threw it onto the floor. "Do I make myself clear, Sutcliff?"

Though it was painful, I nodded. Will smirked again. Before he removed himself from my stomach, he punched me in the throat. Then he left me. Alone on the floor, coughing and gasping for air, wallowing in agony.

There I lay. There I slept. The next morning was the most painful morning of my life. It was about 3am. Though it hurt to stand, I left the Shinigami apartment complex and headed to London, knowing exactly where I was going.

~London~

I wandered around the city streets, praying that I didn't bump into William. Luckily, it wasn't his shift. So I continued walking (limping really) in the pouring rain. I walked down the cobblestone alleys in search of the path to the house I had been in a number of times when Madame Red was alive. I tried to find someone who would help me.

Finally, I walked up to a stately manor. The name read 'Phantomhive' on the address. Hopefully, someone in this home would protect me. Knocking on the door, I stood in wait, hoping that he would answer the door.

Suddenly, the door to the manor opened gently. Sebastian stood in front of me. It was obvious that he was surprised to see me. He stared at me with wide eyes when I stepped into the light, revealing my bruises on my face and around my throat.

My lips quivered. I was about to start crying again. It all hurt so much. I dropped to my knees and quietly began to cry. I never wanted Sebastian to see me like this, but I had no other choice. Sebastian knelt down in front of me. He gently lifted up my face to look at the bruises.

"Grell…" he slightly gasped. That was how I knew that they looked horrible. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

I stared at Sebastian through broken glasses. "W-William…"

That was all I had to say. Sebastian was shocked to find out it was William. But at the same time, he looked like he already knew. He outstretched his arms. Immediately, I fell into them. I buried my face in Sebastian's shoulder and cried. He patted my shoulder gently. I almost didn't feel it.

"S-Sebastian…please…please h-help me!" I cried. I was so scared. By not calling him Sebas-chan or Bassy, I let him know I was serious.

"…Alright." Sebastian replied. Then, he gently lifted me in bride-style. I winced at the pain in my stomach. "I'm so sorry…bear with it for a few moments."

I nodded and put one arm on my stomach and the other around Sebastian's neck. With that, he closed the door and ran to his room.

He put me down on the trunk at the foot of his bed. Sebastian left me only for a moment to get the bandages. When he came back, he took off my red jacket and unbuttoned my vest, removing that. I didn't dare put my necktie on when I left my apartment, so Sebastian was able to take off my shirt with no tie. I was soon topless in front of Sebastian.

He stared to examine my chest wounds. The cut in the center and the bruise on my stomach were by far the worst. Sebastian wrapped them up in bandages including the ones on my arms, and then took off my pants. Now I was in nothing but boots and underwear. Sebastian bandaged up the upper leg wound. Once he was finished, I sat on the trunk, almost naked. Sebastian looked at my face. Gently wiping away my tears, he spoke.

"Why did William do this to you, Grell?"

I sniffled a little before replying. "He knew that I had seen you…while I was collecting souls…then, he did this…"

"Did he say anything else?"

"…He said that…if he ever found out I was with you…he would…kill me." I clutched onto Sebastian's hand, never wanting to let go. "Please…Sebastian, please…help me! Don't let him-"

I was cut off by Sebastian's finger put in front of my lips. He was trying to calm me down. "William won't lay a finger on you…I won't let him." he smiled gently at me.

My arms wrapped around his shoulders. If anyone was going to be able to keep me safe, it was Sebastian. "Thank you, Sebastian."

"You're welcome." Sebastian pulled me away and took my shoes off. Now, with only my underwear on, he put me in his bed under the covers. "You should rest. I'll sit next to you and mend your clothes."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I felt the bed move a little when Sebastian got in. Within a few minutes, I was sound asleep.

~My Dream~

I had a horrible dream. Sebastian was sitting in a chair not that far from me. He smiled at me. Then an arm came out and slit his throat. He died almost instantly. I screamed out his name, "SEBASTIAN!" Then William came out from behind the chair. He grabbed me by the collar.

"I told you the consequences. Now you need to pay the price, Sutcliff." William held the knife that he killed Sebastian with and held it to my neck.

"No! SEBASTIAN!" I screamed out for the demon to help me, but he didn't move.

Just as William was about to slit my throat, I was woken up.

Sebastian, still on the bed, was leaning over me. My eyes snapped open and I looked at the demon shadowing over me. I was relived to see that Sebastian was still alive.

"I heard you yell for me." Sebastian stared at my eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Sebastian." I pulled him down and gave his neck a hug. _"Thank God!"_

Sebastian placed his hand on my head. "Grell?"

"I'm fine…I just had a horrible dream…"

"William was in it?"

"…Yes." I let go of his neck and he lifted his head slightly. He fixed himself so he was almost completely on top of me, being conscious of my still healing wounds.

We both stared at each other for a moment. Then, Sebastian's mouth collided with mine. It was the first time I had ever been close enough to Sebastian to kiss him, and he willingly kissed me! He took every last little bit of my breath away. My eyes fluttered when he stopped.

"…You bitch." a voice came from the window. William, with his death scythe in his hand, was staring at us with a cold look.

"W-William." I gasped and looked at Sebastian. He was still over me, like a protective barrier, staring with his dark red eyes back at William.

"I left you alone for the night," William said, pushing his glasses up with his death scythe, "and I find you here…naked…in bed with this…monster."

Sebastian didn't move at all. He was going to keep me safe, like I knew he would.

"It's pathetic really," William continued. "you feel you can't have me, so you run to him. Are you desperate?" he didn't wait for an answer. Not that I would give one to him. "No matter. You know that a consequence is needed, Sutcliff…I'll do it in front of your precious demon too."

I whimpered and grabbed onto Sebastian's arm. My eyes met his. I was absolutely terrified. Sebastian slightly nodded to me, letting me know I was alright.

William began to walk to me. He was preparing for my last beating.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that, William." Sebastian said calmly.

"Oh? And you think you can save this idiot?"

"Yes."

I looked into Sebastian's eyes. He was so devoted to keeping me safe.

"Very well then, demon…don't hold back." William shot his death scythe at me, but Sebastian caught it just before it hit my arm.

Sebastian's eyes glowed red. He ripped the death scythe out of William's hand and crushed it's blade into a crumpled piece of metal. He then threw it onto the floor.

"No weapons. Just fists." Sebastian remained calm.

William nodded and jumped at Sebastian, throwing him off of the bed and onto the floor.

I sat up to watch, though my stomach hurt. I knew Sebastian was more than capable of beating Will, but that didn't mean I was going to let my guard down. The two of them rolled on the ground before Sebastian finally got on top of Will. He began to punch him.

Then, William flung Sebastian to his side and rolled onto him. He punched him in the throat as he did to me. I knew how it hurt, so I flinched, even though it wasn't me William was hitting. Sebastian coughed once and slammed his fist into William's stomach. However, William quickly recovered and hit Sebastian's shoulder with his wrist.

At first, I didn't quite understand why Sebastian fell to the ground with his hand over his shoulder. Then I saw the bloody blade that had been pulled out of William's sleeve. That cheating bastard!

Sebastian got up and revealed his bloody glove. "I said no weapons, Spears."

William scoffed. "Did you really think I would heed your words?"

Sebastian glared at William. "…Honestly? No."

William smirked at Sebastian and threw the knife into his knee. I gasped as Sebastian fell to the ground again. They both looked over at me, as if they had forgotten I was there. William's smirk wiped off his face. We all froze for a moment.

I looked at Sebastian. He mouthed the words "Run, Grell." Sebastian would keep William away. I hastily rolled off of the bed. The air was cold, but I tried to stumble to the open window.

Behind me, I heard Sebastian grunt. William had slammed his fist into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground. I stopped and turned to Sebastian for a split second, wondering if I should go back to help him. Then, something went around my neck and I fell to my knees.

William had hidden a chain in his sleeve with the knife. All he had to do was fling his arm at me and the chain was around my neck.

"I warned you," William pulled the chain as he walked to me. "Do you like your knew necklace I got you?" He mocked. "It's a choke chain used to train dogs…like you. Instead of cutting your neck, I decided to take your breath away."

I reached up to try and remove the chain, but it just got tighter. I looked at William, who was now right next to my face. "W-Will…William…I…I'm sorry…"

"I don't care, Sutcliff."

I swallowed hard, trying as hard as I could to hold back tears.

William got closer to my face and yanked on the chain. This made me struggle to breathe.

"T-this…is…it…isn't it?"

Will nodded and stood up. I then found myself on the ground with William's foot on top of my chest. As he held me down, he pulled the chain as hard as he could. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't breathe at this point. I closed my eyes.

Just as I thought I had taken my last breath, the chain dropped to the ground and loosened around my neck. Coughing up my lungs, I looked up at where William was supposed to be. Instead, there stood Sebastian. I looked around for William and found him face-down on the floor.

"Sebastian…"

"Pressure points are highly convenient, wouldn't you agree, Grell?" he smiled and held out his hand to help me up. I took it and was pulled up close to Sebastian. He removed the chain and threw it onto the ground by the door. Then, both of Sebastian's hands were holding me. Close to him. My bare chest up against his tailcoat, and our faces only a few inches apart. I loved it.

"Goodness, you're shivering." Sebastian said. I realized that I was. His arms wrapped my upper body in black, trying to warm me up.

"…Sebastian…thank you."

He smiled. "I may be mistaken, but I believe I still owe you a kiss with tongue, do I not?"

I nodded, remembering the deal Ciel had made with me not that long ago.

He didn't have to lean down too far to meet my lips. Then I felt his tongue enter my mouth. I followed along, making it as natural as I possibly could. I was almost discouraged when it stopped.

"What shall I do with William, Grell?"

"Bring him to the Shinigami grounds and have the higher ups deal with him. They know all that we do, and this will certainly not go unnoticed."

"Very well then. Shall I do it now?"

I smiled and held his cheek. "If you do, then hurry back."

He nodded slightly. "Get into the covers, though. I don't want you to catch a cold."

I nodded. He let me go and I went to the bed. Sebastian bent down and slung William's limp body over his shoulder and left out of the window.

Within about five minutes, Sebastian returned. I watched him come in and then felt his warm body get into the bed next to me. He still had a cut on his shoulder, but it wasn't bleeding much anymore. I turned over and rested my head on Sebastian, who's arms remained at his sides. The warmth of his body was so comforting.

"How is your neck?" Sebastian asked, breaking the silence.

"Painful."

"…Are you okay?"

"Hold me," I replied. Sebastian did as I told him. "Now I'm fine."

I could tell Sebastian was smiling a little. For about an hour, we sat like this and eventually saw the sun rise. Then, Sebastian got up. He took his tailcoat and vest off. Then he removed his dress shirt. All three were swapped out for a clean change of clothes. He removed his gloves and changed them to another pair. Now, it looked like nothing had happened to his arm.

"My master needs to be woken up. Will you be alright on your own here for a while, Grell?"

I sat up and nodded. "Yes."

He smiled. "Try not to make too much noise, please. I don't want those three to know you are here." he turned to the door and walked out, closing the door behind him.

When the sun went down, Sebastian returned.

"He's asleep."

I made room for him on the bed, and he willingly climbed in.

"…How long am I allowed to stay here, Sebastian?"

"As long as you need to. Until your wounds heal, if you'd like."

"I'd like that." I paused for a moment. "…When I return to my apartment, though…can I come to you if he…does this again?"

"Of course you can." Sebastian turned and hovered above me. "I will be here." he went down and kissed my lips. And when he pulled up, he spoke.

"What was your dream last night? The one that woke you up?"

I hesitated before answering. "…William…killing you…before he killed me…"

"Hm…so you were afraid of death?"

"No. I was afraid because…you weren't able to help me. I was afraid because you had died, not because I was going to face the same fate."

He looked at me with worried eyes, as if he felt the same. "You screamed my name-"

"Because I couldn't move to save you." I finished his sentence.

He got very close to my face, and whispered, "That will never happen. I won't let you become alone."

I smiled, knowing he meant every word.

That night, I slept embraced in his arms.

~Two Weeks Later~

Returning to the Shinigami grounds was a terrifying experience. But I didn't see William anywhere, so I eased up a little. I walked down the hallway to my apartment.

"Sutcliff! Wait up!" a voice somewhat giggled behind me. I turned around to see Ronald running to me. He stopped right in front of me.

"Hello, Ronald."

"Hi! Where have you been?"

"…I took a holiday for a while." I lied.

"Oh."

"Um…Ronald?"

"Yes, Agent Sutcliff?"

"…If you don't mind me asking, do you know what happened to William?"

Ronald hesitated. "…He was put in…solitary confinement, for a while."

"Do you know how long?"

"I think I heard someone say eight weeks, but I can't be certain…Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering!"

Ronald looked at me with a puzzled look. He could tell I wasn't feeling myself. "Agent Sutcliff…is something wrong?"

I looked away. "No."

"Come here." he lightly pushed my face to him. "Your glasses are cracked." he looked down. "Your neck!"

I was careless enough to not cover up my bruise around my neck.

"Grell," Ronald was serious when he used my first name. "What happened?"

I turned away again. "Nothing!"

"Grell, this is not nothing!" he pointed to my neck.

"…Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I swear."

"…Fine, then. But lets go inside first."

Inside of my apartment I told Ronald what had happened. I left out what Sebastian and I said to each other and done, but I told Ronald the rest.

Afterwards, he looked at me.

"I…I didn't know Spears was that cruel."

"…Well then you obviously never had overtime with him." I tried to joke, but I couldn't.

"Grell…if you need anything…any help…don't hesitate to ask."

I nodded. But I wanted Sebastian to take care of these things. Ronald would be my second resort, though.

He stood up and nodded to me. "I need to return to work. When you come back, look for me. We can spend some time together, if you'd like." then he left.

Knowing that William wasn't next door made me feel safe. But I would only feel completely safe if I were in Sebastian's arms.


End file.
